Common Problems
- I want to play World of Warcraft but only get a black screen
- The game seems to crash, but music is still playing
If you encounter a black screen at startup or during gameplay, follow the steps below to solve the problem:
- Reset your WoW settings through the Blizzard Battle.net App: Options > Game Settings > Reset In-Game Options button under World of Warcraft
- Overlay incompatibilities can cause black screens and crashes. Your overlay programs may need to be updated or disabled to resolve the issue
- Update your drivers to resolve any compatibility issues
- If your game is using DirectX 12, try switching to DirectX 11. If WoW is using DirectX 11, try switching to DirectX 11 Legacy. World of Warcraft Menu > System > Advanced > Graphics API
- Start the game in windowed mode
- Click the Blizzard icon on the Blizzard app
- Select Settings from the dropdown menu
- Select Game Settings
- Check the Additional command line arguments box under World of Warcraft
- Type -Windowed in the box and click Done
- Restart the game
Advanced Troubleshooting
- Check your network configuration to find any issues with your firewall, router, or port settings
- Run the Blizzard repair tool to repair any damaged game files
- Uninstall and Reinstall the Blizzard App
Tried everything here?
If you have tried these steps and still require assistance, please visit our Technical Support Forums or contact us.
Please log in to submit feedback.
Did you find this article helpful?
Great! Help us improve. Please rate the following from a scale of 1 to 5 stars:
Sorry to hear that! We'd like to know what's wrong. Please check any which apply:
Thanks for your feedback!